ASSESSING AND DIAGNOSING PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA, OTHER PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS, AND MEDICATION-INDUCED MOVEMENT DISORDERS
Psychotic disorders and schizophrenia are some of the most complicated and challenging diagnoses in the DSM. The symptoms of psychotic disorders may appear quite vivid in some patients; with others, symptoms may be barely observable. Additionally, symptoms may overlap among disorders. For example, specific symptoms, such as neurocognitive impairments, social problems, and illusions may exist in patients with schizophrenia but are also contributing symptoms for other psychotic disorders.
For this Assignment, you will analyze a case study related to schizophrenia, another psychotic disorder, or a medication-induced movement disorder.
To prepare
- Review this week’s Learning Resources and consider the insights they provide about assessing and diagnosing psychotic disorders. Consider whether experiences of psychosis-related symptoms are always indicative of a diagnosis of schizophrenia. Think about alternative diagnoses for psychosis-related symptoms.
- Download the Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation Template, which you will use to complete this Assignment. Also review the Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation Exemplar to see an example of a completed evaluation document.
- By Day 1 of this week, select a specific video case study to use for this Assignment from the Video Case Selections choices in the Learning Resources. View your assigned video case and review the additional data for the case in the “Case History Reports” document, keeping the requirements of the evaluation template in mind.
- Consider what history would be necessary to collect from this patient.
- Consider what interview questions you would need to ask this patient.
- Identify at least three possible differential diagnoses for the patient.
Complete and submit your Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation, including your differential diagnosis and critical-thinking process to formulate primary diagnosis.
Incorporate the following into your responses in the template:
- Subjective: What details did the patient provide regarding their chief complaint and symptomology to derive your differential diagnosis? What is the duration and severity of their symptoms? How are their symptoms impacting their functioning in life?
- Objective: What observations did you make during the psychiatric assessment?
- Assessment: Discuss the patient’s mental status examination results. What were your differential diagnoses? Provide a minimum of three possible diagnoses with supporting evidence, listed in order from highest priority to lowest priority. Compare the DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for each differential diagnosis and explain what DSM-5-TR criteria rules out the differential diagnosis to find an accurate diagnosis. Explain the critical-thinking process that led you to the primary diagnosis you selected. Include pertinent positives and pertinent negatives for the specific patient case.
- Reflection notes: What would you do differently with this client if you could conduct the session over? Also include in your reflection a discussion related to legal/ethical considerations (demonstrate critical thinking beyond confidentiality and consent for treatment!), health promotion and disease prevention taking into consideration patient factors (such as age, ethnic group, etc.), PMH, and other risk factors (e.g., socioeconomic, cultural background, etc.).
Required reading
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Medication-induced movement disorders and other adverse effects of medication. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disordersLinks to an external site. (5th ed., text rev.). https://go.openathens.net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url= https://dsm.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787.Medication_Induced_Movement_Disorders
American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. In Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disordersLinks to an external site. (5th ed., text rev.). https://go.openathens.net/redirector/waldenu.edu?url= https://dsm.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787.x02_Schizophrenia_Spectrum
Boland, R. & Verduin, M. L. & Ruiz, P. (2022). Kaplan & Sadock’s synopsis of psychiatry (12th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.
- Chapter 5, “Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders”
- Chapter 2 only section 2.14, “Early-Onset Schizophrenia”
Document: Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation TemplateDownload Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation Template
Document: Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation ExemplarDownload Comprehensive Psychiatric Evaluation Exemplar
Document: NRNP 6635 Final Study Guide
Patient details
Training Title 24
Name: Ms. Jess Davies
Gender: female
Age: 30 years old
T- 98.6 P- 86 R 20 120/70 Ht 5’2 Wt 126lbs
Background: Jess is brought for evaluation by her 2 roommates who are concerned with
behaviors. She had some issues with depression after aunt died but worsened in the 12 days after
she witnessed her brother killed via GSW in a gas station burglary. She is estranged from her
parents and her brother was her only sibling. She is only sleeping 2 hours/24hrs; she will only eat
canned foods. She smokes cannabis daily since she was 17 and goes out on weekdays couple
times with her roommates and has couple drinks of beer. She was prescribed alprazolam 1mg
twice daily as needed by her PCP for 15 days. She works in a bakery. Allergies: medical tape
